Dear Readers of the Miscellany,
Believe it or not, Spring term is in full swing. Classes have begun; senior English majors have finished with Comps, and new English majors have joined the ranks. But this is no ordinary Spring at Carleton, as we all know. Rather, it has posed new and particular challenges for each of us to surmount. For professors, the move to remote classes has launched them into the uncharted waters of distance teaching. Our seniors have been sent adrift, to transition into adulthood without the sense of closure and togetherness they so desire. There is plenty of stress and sadness to go around.
However, the sense of loss so many of us are feeling, of lost time, lost money, and most tragically, lost loved ones, requires that we, as students of English, rely on language to soothe our burdens. Because what is our task on second Laird if not to find ways to articulate ourselves when it’s difficult to do so? Wendell Berry comes to mind, “The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”
So there it is, the Spring term task. How can we impeded streams come together in search of voices that sing, not despite, but on account of the unanticipated challenges, tragedy, and loss? This answer will be different for each of us, of course, but I hope that now, more than ever, we exercise our pithy saying, Carls help Carls.
No matter where we go in the world, once a Carl, always a Carl, because Carleton is more than just a place. To be a Carl is to promise never to cease learning, to always do our best, and to serve others as best we can. Let’s do our best to reach out to one another and affirm what we’ve always known to be true. We may leave Carleton, but Carleton won’t leave us.
We, whose hearts reside in second Laird, send our warmest regards to our entire community and wish for everyone’s health and safety.